Time traveler’s glimpse

See 1906 for yourself; uncovered recently, this vintage film captures life in a bustling San Francisco just days before the big quake

While thousands of before-and-after photographs exist, little footage exists that captures life in motion before the quake. To get a real sense of the energy and atmosphere of the city just days before the disaster, take a few minutes to watch the film athttp://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6964752n.

It’s moving and fascinating when you consider how everyone who’s captured in their daily lives is about to be forever changed by Mother Nature’s fury. In Blossom , when Austin describes the filmmakers on the front end of a cable car, he’s describing the real Miles brothers who recorded a ride that was the length of Market Street.

Within a few minutes of silent observation, you’ll visit the heart of San Francisco in 1906 and get a glimpse of a joyous city on the brink of a catastrophe. Nearly all of the buildings that you’ll see were destroyed by the disaster. Be sure to notice:

The Ferry Building at the end of the street, which is still there today on the San Francisco Bay

The chaotic traffic flow on this main thoroughfare with apparently no rules; pedestrians, cable cars and drays being hauled by horse teams all converge without colliding

The mix of vehicles, horse-drawn and horsepower in their engines

Everyone has a hat on

The youngster who emerges from behind the canvas flap of the wagon in front of the cable car

The boys known as “newspaper butchers” at the Ferry Building

So click the play button. And then simply sit back and witness life as it was.

About the Blossom Trilogy

Journey back to times before our time, when much was different and yet much was the same, especially what motivates people: ambition, passion and jealousy, but, most of all, love. Read more

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Get to know the author

Meet a man who writes romances and believes that love changes everythingLearn more